Coming from a new country is challenging for most people because it is hard to adapt to new places and to make new acquaintances. One of the many new teachers at Fort Hamilton is Mr. Mohamed Elhawary, who came to the United States at the age of eleven and needed to adapt quickly to his new environment.
Mr. Elhawary attended Fort Hamilton High School and thoroughly enjoyed all of his science classes, especially the class of a beloved teacher, Mrs. Kennedy. Attending her class sparked a lifelong love of science for Mr. Elhawary. This is his sixth year as an educator, and he teaches regular and honors chemistry. To this day, Mr. Elhawary tries to incorporate Mrs. Kennedy’s teaching style into his classes by doing hands-on lessons, projects, and labs for students to interact and to help each other out.
Mr. Elhawary’s career path was not straightforward. At first, he wanted to go into the medical field and worked as a research assistant in a lab at Columbia. He worked in genetic engineering, and he soon realized that this career path was not for him. Mr. Elhawary then turned to education and taught for five years at a high school in Queens. This year, which is his sixth year of teaching, he chose to come to the high school he once attended. He chose Fort Hamilton because he appreciates the maturity of high school students, and he wants his students to advance and to be skilled young adults.
When asked, “What piece of advice would you give to students who are struggling academically?” Mr. Elhawary responded,“Don’t give up! Keep persevering and keep asking questions!” He tries to keep this motto in his classes to inspire his students to excel. His biggest goal this year is for his students to understand his chemistry class and pass the regents in June. He enjoys seeing student’s progress while making them smile and enjoy learning.
